January is the month when we all set out with a list of New Year resolutions, business goals and personal goals to improve our lives, our work and relationships. We begin the new year with the optimism of change and the excitement of what can, could and what hopefully, will be.
Whether it is keeping fit, being more active, spending less, saving more, doing more or being more organized, more grateful and even becoming rich; there are plenty of goals and aspirations to kick start the year with buzz.
However, as the January weeks pass, the cold weather rallies and the most depressing day passes, we often find that our New Year resolutions and goals are starting to slip. We stop doing what we think we should to achieve the goals and find the excuses why things haven’t been done or we can’t do something.
According to the Fitness Industry Association, 12 % of people join a gym in January and then the majority have quit and stopped going after 24 weeks. On average, 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail.
So what are we doing wrong?
Firstly, it is key to establish what your true purpose of the goal is. Why do you want to achieve? Have you got enough reasons to accomplish your goals? Set your goals with the reasons for achieving in mind first, and the results second.
An example is wanting to lose weight; Rather than thinking of the result think about the reason why you want to lose weight – find that emotive reason, such as not being out of breath when climbing the stairs, being able to actively play with your children without huffing and puffing after a few minutes.
What is the kind of person you need to become to achieve your business goals?
“The acquisition of the things you want is strictly secondary. The major reason for setting goals is to compel you to become the person it takes to achieve them” Jim Rohn
When setting goals and resolutions, we often head straight for the end results and expect us to be able to achieve. We start doing the result focused tasks to make changes but often acting without ability.
What we need to focus on is what kind of person we need to be in order to achieve our goals; so what skills do we need to develop and what knowledge do we need to gain.
If your goal is to make more money and to be successful – study success! Read and learn about processes, tried and tested programmes, read about those who’ve achieved success and surround yourself with those who are successful.
The more you learn, the more motivated you will become to be more than you are.
Here are our top tips for helping stay on top of your goals beyond January!
1) Try writing out the reasons WHY you want to achieve your goals with a feeling attached and associated with achieving the goal.
2) Be specific about your goal and set a realistic measure against it. There is no point setting a business goal of “ I want to make thousands and thousands of profit” if it isn’t specific in terms of numbers / achieve by dates and especially if it isn’t realistic, how are you going to achieve?
3) Write your goals down, perhaps obvious but there are still plenty of business owners who hold their business plans and goals in their own minds. Get it down on paper and share with your team.
4) Find someone you can be accountable to. Whether you have a business coach, personal coach or a friend to keep track of how you are progressing, sharing your goals and having someone question you will make all the difference.
If you want to find out more about how business coaching can help you to achieve your goals, book a free discovery call.
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